COMPLIANCE LEAD - CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, PRODUCT & OPERATIONAL RISK

“Make your mark as the first dedicated Compliance Lead in a global engineering and technology design business”.
£Very competitive Salary + Bonus + Benefits
Location: Kent (Hybrid - 3 days per week onsite)

MAKE YOUR MARK AS THE FIRST DEDICATED COMPLIANCE LEAD IN A GLOBAL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DESIGN BUSINESS.

We’re seeking a proactive and technically credible compliance professional to step into a newly created role where you’ll shape and implement compliance, audit, and regulatory best practice across a fast-paced, international manufacturing and technology design group.
This is a rare opportunity to build a compliance function from the ground up. You’ll work across engineering, quality, product development, operations, legal, and commercial teams to improve controls, embed standards, and protect the company’s reputation as a trusted supplier of high-integrity, safety-focused technology.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Designing and owning compliance systems, policies, training, and risk registers across the business
• Leading internal and external audits across ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, CE/UKCA, EMC and other technical standards
• Collaborating with engineering, product, quality, and legal colleagues to ensure documentation and processes meet regulatory and customer expectations
• Owning third-party relationships with UKAS, regulatory auditors, and accreditation bodies
• Developing group-wide frameworks for anti-bribery, modern slavery, sanctions, and ESG reporting
• Acting as the first port of call for compliance queries from colleagues, customers, and suppliers
• Reporting to the Legal and Compliance Director, with influence across UK and international business units

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

This business delivers advanced vehicle safety technologies to large fleets and OEMs across the globe. Ensuring these products are compliant isn’t just a legal necessity - it’s a matter of life and death. You’ll ensure products are properly certified, documentation is watertight, and internal processes can stand up to global regulatory scrutiny.
You’ll also play a critical role in helping engineers, developers, and commercial teams understand what “good” looks like - without slowing them down. Your work will reduce risk, support innovation, and enable the company to scale safely and sustainably.

In layperson’s terms, you’ll:

• Ensure the company is doing things properly and legally - particularly in how it designs, tests, sells, and supports its vehicle safety products
• Check that products meet international legal, quality, and safety standards and that teams follow the correct procedures
• Ensure documentation is complete and accurate, and anticipate issues before products reach the market
• Protect the company’s reputation and reduce risks such as product recalls, legal disputes, or customer rejections
• Stay ahead of evolving international regulations, including CE/UKCA marking, GSR2, R155, R156, and more
• Work as a partner to product, engineering and operations teams - enabling compliant innovation, not policing it
• Prepare the business for future growth, acquisition, investment or exit, where compliance is increasingly board-level priority